
Health & Wellness
The Complete Guide to ASMR
ASMR has quite recently developed a cult following online. There are subreddits, YouTube channels, and Facebook groups devoted to the phenomenon of autonomous sensory meridian response. If you're lucky enough to be able to experience ASMR, then you will completely understand why it’s so popular. If you haven't felt it before, then it's well worth exploring to see if it’s something that you're receptive to.
A good ASMR video is one that features soft, relaxing sounds. Usually, the video will be recorded in a binaural format, with sound moving from ear to ear. There will either be no visual aspect to the video or the video will show the object that is making the sounds or a person that is pretending to move from one side of your head to the other. When it is done properly, the binaural element of ASMR videos can be incredibly convincing.
ASMR videos should be recorded in a soundproof environment, and if there is a subject to the video, the background should be neutral, and the video should not be too busy. The idea is to allow the viewer to focus on the sound. The sound should be recorded with a high-quality microphone to ensure that it is as crisp as possible.
The most obvious sign of ASMR is the head tingle and the feeling of pleasure that spreads through the rest of the body. Some people also note that they experience an intense feeling of relaxation to the point that they fall asleep.
The impact of brain tingles is interesting enough and has enough of a cult following that researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of Sheffield decided to investigate exactly what happens to individuals who are experiencing ASMR and what goes on in the body during the experience.2
They started the research by recruiting more than 1,000 participants to watch some videos. The participants viewed some control videos and some videos that were known to induce ASMR. They were asked to report how each video made them feel, both emotionally and in terms of the physical triggers of ASMR.
The researchers used the results to categorize the participants, and those who reported experiencing brain-tingle-like sensations frequently were asked about the sensations that they experienced and what triggered them.
The study found that those who had ASMR experiences typically reported feeling more excited and calm, as well as less sad and stressed when presented with ASMR-inducing videos. The head orgasm-receptive people did not respond any differently to the control videos than the people who were not ASMR-receptive.
After completing this survey, the researchers recruited another group of 110 volunteers, some of whom were ASMR-experiencers and some of whom were not, and they measured the physiological responses of those participants to brain tingle videos and to control videos.
On average, people who experienced ASMR had heart rates that were 3.14 beats per minute lower than those of non-ASMR experiencers. The people who experienced ASMR also had greater skin conductance, which is evidence of an emotional response. The response to the brain tingle experience was similar to the response that other researchers have seen from music, mindfulness, and other stress-reduction techniques.
So, it's clear that ASMR really does have an impact on people's physical and mental wellbeing, but what exactly causes that response? Well, there have been a few studies conducted that focus on how the brain responds to ASMR stimuli.
The first study of that type, by Smith, Fredborg, and Kornelsen of the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machines to determine whether there were differences in brain activity between people who were receptive to ASMR and people who were not. The fMRI measures blood flow in the brain, which gives an indirect idea of brain activity. It's not a perfect measurement, but it is good enough for most purposes.
So, researchers have shown that ASMR can trigger activity in areas of the brain that are normally idle. It is thought to involve the release of feel-good endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin. Those hormones can help induce feelings of comfort, sleepiness, and relaxation—exactly what people who experience ASMR report feeling.
People who are able to experience ASMR often score higher on “openness to experience” in the Big Five Inventory personality test and lower on “conscientiousness.” In other tests, such as the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, they tend to score greater on “empathic concern” and “fantasizing.”6 It's unclear whether this is a result of differences in brain structure or whether they are more receptive to certain endorphins, but there is a clear difference in personality and in their response to stress.
Serotonin and oxytocin play an important role in bonding and social interactions. Oxytocin, in particular, is thought to decrease anxiety-like responses and also decrease anxiety-related behaviors.7 People who are able to experience ASMR may be enjoying a number of neuroprotective behaviors as a result. Oxytocin is good the body, and it makes individuals feel good, so it makes sense that people who experience ASMR are going to want to seek out triggers time and time again.
According to early studies, around 98 percent of people who use ASMR content do so in an attempt to relax. Eighty-two percent of ASMR users will watch trigger videos to help themselves get to sleep, 80 percent use them because they have a positive effect on their mood, and 70 percent watch ASMR videos to help them cope with stress.
Other studies have found similar results, with relaxation being one of the recurring themes. There could be an additional, underlying phenomenon that respondents in self-reported studies are reluctant to discuss, though.
One popular ASMR trigger is methodical work and careful personal attention. People who are socially isolated and that do not get that kind of personal attention in their day-to-day lives may find role play videos quite therapeutic. Indeed, many ASMR videos focus on activities like a trip to the hairdresser or a clinical exam from a careful, caring physician.8 This could explain why ASMR is popular in Japan, where there is a growing number of hikikomori, young men who may work or study, but are otherwise are stuck in their homes, with little or no social interaction.9
There is a similar phenomenon in Korea, where many people are raised in a culture where eating alone is frowned upon and then have to face the reality that because of the pressures of their lives, they do not have anyone to eat with. To soothe the loneliness, they go online to eat with streamers. These streamers, usually young women, host “mukbang” shows where they will eat a large meal while interacting with their audience.10
Though many individuals around the world are not facing quite the same social pressures, it’s definitely possible that individuals still crave more social interaction than they typically receive. People who are holding down a job while studying, those who are chronically ill and unable to leave the house, and those who are going through hard times in their relationships may feel that online ASMR material offers them a safe and productive release.
Even those who are in happy relationships but who are struggling with stress and anxiety might benefit from ASMR, as might those who are wrestling with insomnia. ASMR is a non-drug based solution to a near-ubiquitous problem.
Many people who can experience ASMR describe it as "self-induced chills of joy.” However, it can be hard to understand exactly what it feels like or why it is so good if you haven't experienced the sensation yourself.
There is a head massager known as the "orgasmatron" which can produce a similar, although slightly different, head-tingling effect. The device has several long prongs that massage different parts of your scalp. Using it for a few seconds creates those tingles and chills. If you can experience ASMR but your friends can't, then giving them a head massage is perhaps the only way that you can "share the light.” If you can't experience ASMR but are genuinely curious, then buying a head massager could help you understand what the fuss is about.
Unfortunately, head massages tend to become less blissful over time, especially if you do them frequently because the nerve endings on the scalp become accustomed to being activated. ASMR is harder to become desensitized to because you can change the content you watch if you become bored of one specific trigger.
YouTube is one of the major sources of ASMR content. There are numerous channels out there to choose from, and there are a number of mesmerizing videos. If you're not convinced about ASMR yet and want to see what all the fuss is about, check out some of these videos:
Baking and ASMR: This is an artfully shot video that features soothing sounds and careful step-by-step instructions for making matcha cookies. It's fascinating and pleasing to watch.
Cracking Open a Beer: The thought of sitting down with a cold beer is relaxing enough, but sometimes you just can't do it because you have to work hard tomorrow. The next best thing is watching someone else cracking open a craft beer and taking you through the taste. In fact, for some people, enjoying someone else enjoying a beer is better than doing the drinking for themselves.
Bob Ross: Bob Ross is jokingly known as the “original ASMRist” and for good reason. His series, “The Joy of Painting,” is incredibly relaxing and nice to watch even if you don't experience ASMR. For those who do experience it, and for whom ASMR is a trigger, watching his shows is a special experience.
ASMR Sleep Triggers: One of the most popular ASMR videos on YouTube at the moment is “20 Triggers to Help You Sleep.” This video, at the time of writing, has more than 29 million views, and it covers a lot of popular triggers including whispers, tapping, clicking, hair brushing, and many more. It's a great way to get a feel for what the most popular ASRM triggers are without hunting from video to video.
Massage Role Play: It's hard to do a good job with an ASMR role play video because you need to convince the viewer to suspend disbelief and have them thinking that you're talking to them and interacting with them. Massage is a popular ASMR trigger, and some artists have attempted to make virtual massage videos, with varying degrees of success.
Makeup Role Play: Creating a great ASMR video of doing your makeup is a little easier than being convincing with a massage, especially if the video is recorded with binaural audio. Makeup videos cover triggers such as face touching, tapping, whispers, dabbing, and more.
Tapping: Some people don't like role play videos because there is too much talking in them. They just want relaxing sounds. There are ASMR videos that contain one hour or more of just tapping with no talking. These videos are ideal for people who are looking to doze off to the sound of their favorite ASMR content. Simply load up a video, listen to the tapping, and drift off.
Whispering: This is one of the more controversial ASMR triggers in that the kind of whispering that works for some people doesn’t work for others. Some ASMR-experiencers love whispering videos that are either role-play or full of positive affirmations and nice words. Others find that listening to people whispering requires too much focus and that it kicks them out of the ASMR state. If you're looking for ASMR content that will help you to relax, and you don't want real words, then there are some ASMR videos where people whisper nonsense or the whispers are garbled so that it's more like soothing white noise. Try both to see what works for you.
ASMR and Virtual Reality
The idea of consuming ASMR content in virtual reality (VR) hasn't quite taken off yet. That's partly because a lot of ASMR triggers are purely audio and the video is just there as a nice extra touch and partly because VR technology hasn't quite achieved the level where it's realistic enough to work for those who enjoy role-playing ASMR. The videos are realistic, yes, but headsets are bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Perhaps the next step for ASMR will be virtual reality though.